Echo
by Thomas Tom Tom
Summary: Soundwave's discovered by a clumsy fembot after almost-but-not-quite escaping from the Shadowzone. TF:P continuity but uses characters from G1, TFA, and probably the Unicron Trilogy. Technically Soundwave/Jolt but Jolt here only shares colour scheme and weapons with the real Jolt. So basically an OC.
1. Found

**A/N: Woo for first Transformers: Prime fic! This one's come about as a result of seeing Soundwave stuck in the Shadowzone, reading a couple of other Shadowzone fix-it fics, and watching the New Captain Scarlet episode "Chiller."**

**Jolt here is basically the one from the second Michael Bay movie, except, well, femme and with an actual personality. And a voice.**

**Enjoy, and review. Even if you think this concept is overdone. (Except it isn't; all the Shadowzone fix-its have human love interests, and that crap is messed up.) **

**- Tom**

* * *

**KEY: **

"Normal talking."

"_Soundwave using/someone else's/voice."_

* * *

**Found**

Soundwave clanked through the Nemesis' lower decks. Entirely alone.

Of course he was. Even though he wasn't sure whether he was in the Shadowzone anymore.

He could be. He could not be.

After all, he had managed to open a groundbridge under his feet and pull himself through it, even if he only ended up in the same place.

Had he done that? Or was it just something he was going to do? Soundwave didn't know. Time had no meaning in the Shadowzone. If that was where he was.

He knew there were Autobots in the ship, and he knew they were not any of the Prime's team. He knew Cybertron was reforged; Laserbeak – still in the real world but transformed into a light fixture or something of the sort – had been recording them, and they had been talking about "the Rebirth" amongst themselves. He did not know if Megatron was alive, or dead, or _undead, _but the spy knew that Starscream was alive, and so were some Decepticons. Somewhere.

He wasn't sure he cared anymore. After millennia alone, all Soundwave really wanted was for someone to see him, or hear him. Any contact was better than none at all.

That said, he was still not sure he was an enemy to these Autobots.

_Clang-click. Clang-click. Clang-click. _Here came one now – a femmebot if the noise from their stabilisers was to be trusted, and probably carrying something heavy.

It could, in theory, be Starscream, Soundwave considered. Even so, he stepped back and accidentally stepped through a wall into what he recognised as Energon Storage Bay Four.

That was another annoyance: he could walk through the ship's walls and doors as if he were permanently wearing a phaser gauntlet, so he assumed he must still be in the Shadowzone. Or partly in it. One or the other.

The approaching Autobot was definitely a femme – Soundwave could hear her talking to herself.

"-down Jolt, it's not like there's anyone down here anyway, it's just a little creepy, right? Although it's hardly surprising that it's creepy, being a Decepticon Nemesis-class destroyer and all. You know, just calm down and put the Energon where it's supposed to go, and don't bump anything like last time, don't need to blow the whole ship out of the sky aga-"

Soundwave suddenly realised she was coming closer towards him, and sank back into the shadows.

The femme rounded the corner, awkwardly carrying far too much Energon for her small chassis. Her right stabiliser slipped on something and she toppled over, the Energon landing on the deck and pulsing dangerously for a second.

"Scrap! Not again..." she cursed.

The femme froze until the pulse died away. Seeing the Energon was safe, she compressed it and piled it up among the rest.

She turned around and walked backwards, commanding the Energon cubes to "Stay!" until she looked up and then stopped.

"Hello?" the femme asked. "Who's there? Can you hear me?"

Did she see him? Was it possible?

"_Hello?/Can you hear me?" _he repeated to her in her own voice.

"Okay, wow, Primus, that's creepy. Are you in here, uh, whoever you are?"

"_In here/Can you hear me?" _Soundwave said, using her voice again.

"I can hear my voice, whoever you are. Is that you?"

Soundwave's spark swelled. She could hear him. "_Energon where it's supposed to go/Jolt/hear me/in here?" _he said.

"Jolt! That's my name! Where are you? No, wait, you, well, _I_, well, _you_...oh whatever, you said "Energon where it's supposed to go," that must be the storage bay! Okay."

"_In here/In here/In here/Jolt/Jolt/Jolt!" _Soundwave replayed again and again.

"That's my name, don't wear it...wow. I found you." she said, pulling aside Energon cubes to reveal Soundwave.

"_Found you/Found/found/found..."_

* * *

Jolt stepped back from the tall, slim mech in front of her, who was speaking to her in her own voice. She stepped into the hallway.

"Come on out here so I can look at you." she asked, and the bot walked _through the Energon, and the wall, _out into the hall.

"Primus, are you a ghost?"

"_Know." _her own voice said.

"No?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

His helm nodded forward slowly. His face was covered by a shiny black screen with a large crack in the middle, which distorted the holographic oscilloscope displayed on it.

"If you aren't a ghost, what happened to you?" she asked, looking him up and down.

Three recordings played. The first one was from an old Earth movie that Commander Bumblebee was fond of quoting: "_A_ _glitch in the Matrix/", _the second a recording of Head Medic Ratchet: "/_groundbridging to/", _and the third a voice Jolt didn't recognise but sounded harsh and cruel: "_/this so-called Shadowzone, Starscream?" _

What Jolt got from that was that something went wrong when he was groundbridging and he was trapped between dimensions. Something that was covered extensively in Groundbridge Training – never cross two groundbridge portals – had evidently happened.

No-one had ever gotten out of a Shadowzone pocket in recorded history without an external Groundbridge to help them, though.

As her eyes scanned his slim chassis she suddenly noticed the purple crowned face high on his right arm panel.

"You're a Decepticon!" she said, aghast, then flicked out her left arm blaster. "Servos in the air!"

The 'Con complied. "_Just calm down." _her own voice came from him.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Jolt cried, firing her blaster.

The bolt shot straight through the Decepticon and hit the wall behind him.

"_Ghost." _the 'Con said, lowering his hands.

"So you can't touch anything besides the floor?"

He stretched out his long arm and stuck his four clawed digits through her head and waved them around to demonstrate.

"Okay, stop now, that's really disconcerting." Jolt shivered and the mech retracted his arm. "It's really cold."

Suddenly her comlink buzzed and she pressed two digits to the right side of her helm. "Jolt here."

"Jolt. It's Windcharger, you okay? I heard blaster fire."

Jolt mouthed to the Decepticon to keep quiet. "It's...it's...uh...nothing, Wind. I just got, uh, spooked by something in the cargo bay."

"You're unbelievable, Jolt. It's just a room, it's not going to hurt you." Windcharger snorted.

"Says you who never goes down there. It's all spiky and that purple Energon is really scary in the dark." Jolt replied huffily.

"Whatever, Joltie."

"Don't call me Joltie! _JOLT _out." Jolt retorted and closed the comm line.

"What am I going to do with you..." she wondered aloud to her mysterious companion.

"/_not going to hurt you/" _Windcharger's voice rang from the Decepticon.

And for some reason, she trusted that look(?) on his cracked screen.

"I'll have to hide you somewhere. Maybe if you just stayed in the Energon vaults? I promise I'll come and see you." she asked.

He nodded.

"Oh, and I'll have to figure out what to call you. I can't just call you "Decepticon" all the time, and I guess you can't really tell me your name...so..."

She thought for a bit. "I'll call you Echo."


	2. Rumour

**A/N: Writing Jetfire and Jetstorm is the most fun thing ever. They're just so hilarious.**

**Reviews: God dammit, Neon, why'd you have to go and point out my biggest plot hole so damn soon? I don't have a response to that. Everyone else, you asked for another chapter, so here's a pointless filler chapter to keep you busy and allow me to describe Jolt in more detail than "she was blue". **

**Stay calm and love the JetTwins.**

* * *

**Rumour**

Soundwave hadn't seen the blue femme for at least four solar cycles.

Had he imagined her? Was anyone really there?

He played back their conversation to himself over and over, if only to convince himself that it was real, and not another Shadowzone processor glitch.

He wondered when he would need some Energon and how he was going to get it into the half-shadowzone, having been running on Laserbeak's emergency reserves for a few hundred years, when he accidentally swept his hand through some of the uncompressed cubes in the storage bay, and one or two of them disappeared into nothingness, and he felt the familiar surge of power.

He looked at his servo curiously. Energon vampirism was an interesting power to have developed, but obviously it didn't affect Cybertronians all too much, or he would have offlined that Autobot.

"Echo?"

Speaking of that Autobot, here she was. At last.

"_Echo/here." _he replied.

"Hey there." she said, waving.

Soundwave waved his right forearm cautiously.

Jolt beamed. "See, you can be nice."

Soundwave rolled his helm left and right non-committally. "_What the scrap's going on up there, Breakdown?!" _he asked, using a recording of Knock Out.

"Nothing really, but there's a doc-bot on board. Red guy. Really slimy character, and he's got a _purple _Autobot symbol. He kinda sounds like that, actually." Jolt replied.

Well, that was a coincidence.

"_Knock Out, you fool!" _Starscream's voice screeched forth from Soundwave's screen.

"Mhm, that's his name. And I don't appreciate the name-calling, Echo!" Jolt said angrily, putting her servos on her hips; which Soundwave found slightly comical, what with her relatively small size.

Soundwave had a thought and switched on his lights. Jolt covered her face and backed away from the light.

"Hey, watch the brightness, Echo! It's not _that _dark." she complained.

Jolt was, to Soundwave's eyes, a rather small, metallic blue and silver femme with two wheels (from an Earth vehicle, so Soundwave assumed the Nemesis was in Earth orbit or was somewhere on the planet) mounted on her shoulders. Two car doors stuck up like wings on her back, and her stabilisers consisted of a wheel at the top of a tallish piece of plating formed into a high-heeled stabilising servo reminiscent of Arcee's.

Jolt obviously noticed the smallish picture of herself being built up on his screen, raised a digit, and transformed flamboyantly into a blue Earth sports car with a silver stripe (which Soundwave quickly identified as a Lotus Elise, thanks to the fleshlings' World Wide Web).

Analysis complete, Soundwave beeped and Jolt transformed back into robot mode.

"Can you transform?" she asked. "Well, obviously you can transform, but what do you even transform into? Is it a jet? All Decepticons turn into jets, or so Jetstorm and Jetfire say." she rambled, until Soundwave held up a patient servo, then switched into his Predator drone form and back, while Jolt clapped excitedly.

"No-one around here has a jet mode, except Jetfire and Jetstorm, and they're always real glitch-heads about it – "Hey, Jolt, look at us turn into jets, we're so awesome, aren't we?" – and it's sooo frustrating, and-"

"_Uggh...Do you ever SHUT UP?" _Soundwave asked her in Breakdown's voice.

"Every other Tuesday." Jolt retorted, smirking.

Okay, Soundwave admitted. He liked this obnoxious femme.

* * *

Jolt clattered back up from the cargo bay, passing Jetfire and Jetstorm in the command room, talking about something.

She hovered near the door, wanting to catch some snippet of the conversation.

"I am telling you, brother, there is something down there." Jetstorm said.

"You are having glitches in your processor, there is not being anything down there but Energon and the pointy shapes." Jetfire scoffed. "Jolt is being down there all the time and she is never saying anything."

"I swear, I have been hearing servosteps, and sometimes I am seeing a tall thin shape disappearing into wall." Jetstorm insisted. "I have been watching the old security tapes, and look at this!"

He pushed a button on the red keyboard purposefully, and a big screen opened up in the middle of the room.

On the screen, Jolt took a sharp breath as Echo appeared on the screen trapped between two Groundbridges, then being slowly sucked into one, covering his cracked screen with his arm and then clawing at the ground as he was zapped into the space between spaces.

"Enjoy the Shadowzone, dude!" a voice said off-camera.

"Obviously the Decepticon was being vaporised, Jetstorm." Jetfire pointed out.

"Did you pay no attention in GB training at all, brother? That is what happens when you are Shadowzoned." Jetstorm said, then looked around.

He shivered. "I am thinking this Decepticon is being haunting this ship."

Jolt walked in, and Jetstorm quickly closed the screen down and adopted his normal flirty stance.

"Ah, hello Jolt. Have you been going down into cargo bay again?" Jetfire asked, stretching his wings.

"Yeah, why?" Jolt said defensively.

"No reasons, but are you being hearing odd noises or seeing things down there?" Jetstorm put in.

Jolt shook her head. "Nope, there's nothing but purple Energon and old 'Con weapons down there. Why?"

"They think there's a ghost down there." Windcharger explained, opening the door and walking in, followed by the red medic Knock Out.

"There wasn't one when I was last on this ship, and I can safely say I made a few." Knock Out leered.

Commander Bumblebee's face popped up on the screen. "Nemesis, report on Decepticon activity in sector twenty-eight-fourteen, please." he said in his serious voice.

"Commander." Windcharger saluted. "We've gotten nothing solid yet but reports that Wildrider, Runabout and Runamuck are somewhere here are everywhere."

"Nice work, Nemesis. I'll need Knock Out back on Cybertron, there's an issue with some rogue Decepticon builders – calling themselves "Constructicons" or something along those lines."

Knock Out vented theatrically. "But I was having so much fun here..."

"Knock Out. Back. Now." Bumblebee said tiredly, and signed off.

"How is it that he can be a higher rank than me?" the red "Autoboticon" grumbled as he clanked off towards the top decks to be Groundbridged off.

Suddenly the room filled with the sound stabilisers clanging off the metal floors.

_Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang._

"What the scrap is that?!" Windcharger asked, worried.

"It is the ghost!" Jetstorm and Jetfire half-screamed.

_Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang._

The noises slowly got slightly quieter, and Jolt's spark slowly slipped down from where it had leapt. She started swinging her right stabiliser into a piece of wall panelling, then stopped and laughed at the jet twins. "Sorry, sorry. That was just me, forgetting where my stabilising servos are, sorry."

Phew. Close call.

She had to have a talk with Echo about going on walks around the ship.


	3. It's Not A Tiara!

**A/N: This was supposed to come out yesterday, but I was at an upper class English ball (i.e. a rave) and wore a suit and a bow tie all day.**

**Soundwave would look bloody brilliant in a bow tie.**

**Anyway...this chapter is somewhat more cracky than the last ones, but it is necessary. ENTIRELY. Especially if I'm going to get Soundwave to play Daft Punk at some time during this story.**

**Tiaras are _definitely _symbols of strong Autobot femininity. Elita One wore a tiara, remember?**

**Keep on reviewing, and yes, I do plan on actually having Soundwave's identity come out eventually.**

**ALSO: "EchoRaptor" you'd better have picked that name in homage to this story or I will be very sad. You don't want me to be sad, do you?**

* * *

**It's Not A Tiara!**

Soundwave knew he shouldn't have been walking around, but he needed to find Laserbeak.

The Autobots had been talking about Decepticons, whose names were unfamiliar to him. Laserbeak would allow him to monitor the Decepticon roster and find out who Starscream had recruited.

He found Laserbeak in the room which had Breakdown's name crossed off the door, and "Windcharger" was in its place. Transforming out of his disguise (a lamp), Laserbeak cawed and tried to attach himself to Soundwave's chest, but fell straight through him.

Soundwave bent down as Laserbeak transformed back into his bird mode.

"_Follow." _he said.

* * *

Soundwave made reasonable progress back to his Energon vault hideout, Laserbeak hovering behind him, until he was delayed by those ridiculous Autobot jets who were blocking the hallway.

He couldn't get around them without leaving Laserbeak behind, and he couldn't fight them with his intangible chassis.

So he remixed a recording of Megatron's footsteps, adding distortion and reverb to make them more imposing, and then played the sound loudly over his speakers.

The two jets panicked and fled the corridor, no doubt to find their leader. Soundwave quickly walked across the hall to the service elevator, had Laserbeak press the "down" button, then snuck into his hiding place.

* * *

Some time later, the femme Jolt's distinctive voice called from the centre of the cargo bay.

"Echo! Come out, Echo!"

Soundwave dutifully ghosted through the Energon vault door, Laserbeak flying through the door behind him.

"Echo, why were you walking through the ship in the middle of a – what is that?!" she asked him, then froze when she saw Laserbeak.

"_Laserbeak!" _Soundwave told her, with the voice of the human "Raf."

"What's that?"

"_Fri/end." _

"Is it important enough to almost blow your cover and get Windcharger to have the Twins down here all the time to check?"

"_YES." _Soundwave's recording of Predaking said forcefully.

Laserbeak poked his head out from behind Soundwave's shoulder.

"Aww, come on, I won't hurt you." Jolt said him. Laserbeak hovered over and sat on her outstretched arm, but bit at her servo when she tried to stroke his head.

"Don't get stroppy with me. It's not my fault you're hungry." she told him.

Laserbeak flapped his wings in an annoyed way.

"Here." Jolt said, offering an Energon treat. Laserbeak snapped it up and then grudgingly allowed his head to be patted.

"_Ghost/form prevents/Interlink!/Request assistance! (gunfire noises) REQUEST ASSISTA-"_

Not perhaps the most eloquent way to put it, Soundwave reflected, but it did the job.

"Wow, that's morbid. How do you need help?" Jolt asked cheerfully.

In reply Soundwave motioned to Laserbeak, who cawed, transformed into an M-shaped crown and attached himself to Jolt's helm.

"What? You just want me to carry him around?"

"_Question: Correct. Status: Prepared for Combat." _Omega Supreme's booming tones issued from Soundwave's screen.

"_Combat?!_ I'm not going into a battle zone with this fragging _tiara!" _

"_Laserbeak/Should not modify/vehicle mode./Autobots, transform and roll out!" _

Jolt rolled her optics. "Fine. But don't blame me if I paint him blue. Purple clashes with my finish."

"_Hilarious." _Shockwave's voice said flatly.

"It's a gift." Jolt smirked. "Now can we get back to me telling you off for walking about the ship without telling me – wait, you hear that?"

"Jolt? You in here?"

"Scrap!" Jolt whispered. "It's Windcharger, hide!"

Soundwave stepped backwards through the door and Jolt pretended to fiddle with her Laserbeak tiara.

"Jolt, there you are." Windcharger said exasperatedly. "I've been looking all over for you. Twins are convinced you got kidnapped by 'the ghost'."

"Oh, no, I just came down here to check some stuff." Jolt replied airily.

Windcharger cocked his optic brow. "And by 'check some stuff' you mean 'accessorise', right? Loving the tiara."

"It's not a _tiara, _it's a...it's a...it's a _battle crown. _Yeah. A battle crown."

"Tiara."

"Blow it out your exhaust, Wind. It's a battle crown. It's a symbol of strong Autobot femininity. It's cool." Jolt said, crossing her arms.

"Whatever. Just come on up to the bridge, unless you've found something else which you think you need to add to your ensemble."

"Shut up, _Captain Windcharger, _and let's just go."

* * *

Jolt's left optic twitched.

"Hello, Jolt. I am liking this new _tiara _that you have acquired." Jetstorm said, making this the twenty-seventh time the word "Tiara" had been spoken in Jolt's presence.

"AAARGH! ALRIGHT, THE NEXT PERSON WHO SAYS THE WORD 'TIARA' IS LOSING A STABILISER!" Jolt screamed.

"Okay, fine, it's not a tiara. Just turn down the throttle, J." First Aid (a highly-strung pacifistic medic who Jolt usually quite liked) said; before a large blast of lightning arced across the command room and badly scorched the paint on his right lower leg.

Jolt glared at the rest of them, Jetstorm and Jetfire hiding behind each other and Windcharger looking amused.

"Anyone else want to comment on the headgear? No? I didn't think so." she said sweetly and then walked proudly off to her quarters.

"I hope you're worth it, Laserbeak, or your master's going to get an absolute audio-receptor-full for making me wear you like a stupid crown." she remarked to Laserbeak as she punched in the code to her room.

* * *

**Next chapter: Soundwave plays Daft Punk, Jolt decides she quite likes the Laserbeak tiara, and First Aid gets sassed. **

**(omg, I can feel the anticipation from here)**


	4. When Echo Gets Bored

**A/N: And here it is. **

**Yeah, I totally lied about the Daft Punk and First Aid being trolled. Oh well. **

**I think I made pacifist First Aid slightly too...uh...evil...for this...**

**Oh, and Neon (who _very politely_ told me that my "lingo" was all utterly wrong), I'm using the TFA jargon (servos = hands, stabilisers = feet (the word "pede" sounds weird and wrong and I hate it)) so there. Although, just to be confusing, this is set in the Aligned universe, specifically Transformers Prime. Okay? No? I don't care. Deal with my cross-universing.**

**Everyone who gets what the Laserbeak HUD is referencing, raise your hands! **

**Uh, or review, whatever works.**

**This is set in a time frame shortly after the Regeneration of Cybertron, so yeah, Prime's dead, Magnus is the leader, Megatron's a hermit, and the name "Soundwave" has passed into legend. (Ooh, future plot point, such fun). This is why Starscream (who's OLD now, gasp (*fangirls die inside*)) has a new Comms Officer, who IS real, I'm fairly sure. Probably. Presumably Airachnid is still vampiring about, chilling with Lockdown or, I don't know, Octane. **

**Additionally, I think I made Soundwave too immature, although I'm going with the fact that he's been alone for ages (and because time doesn't exist in the Shadowzone, he hasn't aged a day. _REMEMBER THAT!_), so he needed to let his silly side out, kay? ****I'm never using the word "tentacles" to describe Soundwave because I've seen enough hentai to see where that shit is going.**

**Hahahaha, now you've got _THAT _image stuck in your head, whoops!**

**Now, COMMENCE THE READING!**

* * *

**Sexy Yet Powerful**

Jolt onlined her sensors and "woke up" in human terms.

Oh. There was that little bird-tiara-thing, sitting on her desk patiently.

She stood up, tapped her helm lethargically, and Laserbeak flapped up and switched to tiara mode.

Jolt looked herself up and down in a reflective screen mounted on the wall of her cabin.

"I don't look all that bad, you know." she told Laserbeak. "I look like Elita-One or Firestar. One of the greats."

She considered another option. "Or I look like Airachnid. Which is less appealing."

Laserbeak made a bored-sounding chirp.

"Be quiet. And why can't you turn yourself blue? I wasn't kidding when I said purple clashes with my finish." Jolt whined.

Laserbeak made a noise which Jolt fancied he might have made if he was rolling his optics.

"Don't give me that scrap. I get enough from Echo as it is. Can't you do anything useful?"

Laserbeak squeaked indignantly, extended two little struts, and projected an old Decepticon HUD in front of her optics. Firstly, a Decepticon symbol appeared and shot into the top left corner, then a digital map of the Nemesis in the bottom left corner, readouts of her overshields and structural damage in the bottom right, and a small icon in the top right which showed the charge on her lightning strike ability sparked into being.

Jolt switched her right hand to her blaster, and some crosshairs popped up showing where she was aiming.

"Oh, that's _nifty! _I like you, Laserbeak-tiara. Let's go and first say sorry to First Aid for frying his paint, and then see Echo, and then I think we'll go on patrol. Sound okay to you?" she said enthusiastically, putting her blaster away.

Laserbeak replied with a somewhat less enthusiastic whistle.

"That's a yes to me! Onwards, tiara!"

* * *

First Aid was in his torture-chamber-turned-field-triage-unit, as usual counting the supplies of things even Jolt knew were never used. She wondered whether he was just _that_ bored or if he seriously forgot.

"Jolt, good morning. What do you need?" the ambulance asked, swiping at his operating table with an Energon scourer.

"Uh, hi, First Aid. Just wanted to say sorry for blasting your leg, you know, yesterday..."

First Aid laughed. "It's fine, after all it's so boring up here I needed the practice.

_Well, that clears that problem up, _Jolt thought.

"Are you sure? I mean, I fired a _lightning bolt _at your _leg. _You're okay with that?"

"Well, you could make it up to me by bringing back a Vehicon's right arm." the medic said calmly.

"Whoa, you're talking about ripping a bot's arm off and bringing it back here? That's rough, even for a 'Con." Jolt replied, slightly disturbed by how calm First Aid was with horribly mutilating a fellow Cybertronian.

"Vehicons are clones, and they carry their field orders and data on a drive in their right forearm panelling. I just need one so that I can take a look at it to try and find any intel on the Decepticon's plans." First Aid explained. "It's not like you had to do it while he was alive, just headshot him and cut his arm off."

"Still. That's a weird thing to want. But fine, I was going to go out on patrol later anyway. I'll get you your...ugh...Vehicon arm." Jolt said, making a face.

"Thanks, J." First Aid said, turning back to his archiving.

* * *

Soundwave was bored. Jolt hadn't been to visit yet, and as Laserbeak was with her, he had nothing to distract him.

Scrap, but he was bored.

He extended his tendrils and sent them off to a computer access point across the room.

Soundwave was delighted to find he could access the the systems by phasing his tendrils through the access point, and set to work screwing up the Autobots' nice tidy ship.

He fired the pulse cannons at rocks (he had discovered that the Nemesis was indeed on Earth, in fact, it was currently flying just above the Nevada desert), he activated the strobe lighting in the command room, blinding the ridiculous Jet Twins, he opened and shut doors on their own, and then as the crowning glory, he trapped the leader Windcharger in the Nemesis's brig and switched out all the lights.

He was just about to play a recording of the human designated "Carly Rae Jepsen" over all the speakers in the ship, when Jolt walked into the cargo bay with a furious look on her faceplate.

Soundwave hastily retracted his tendrils and hid.

"Echo! Get your intangible chassis over here _right now!"_

"_Scrap." _he said resignedly in Arcee's voice, ghosting out.

"Scrap is about right! Sure, locking Windcharger in the brig was hilarious, but now the Twins are convinced _the ghost _is controlling the ship! Okay, so you were brilliantly smart about the whole thing and made it look like a systems glitch, which is _amazing, _I mean even Frequency couldn't pull that off..." Jolt retorted, firstly in an angry voice then somehow turning it into admiration.

"_Frequency/define?" _Soundwave asked, using both Jolt's voice and that of the Oxford English Audio Dictionary.

"Frequency's the Decepticon comms handler. She's hacked us before."

"_Decepticons! Sound off!" _Soundwave asked, using a recording of Dreadwing.

"By that do you mean who are the Decepticons on world at this time?" Jolt asked. Soundwave nodded.

"Uh, well, there's Starscream, Frequency, Wildrider, Runabout and Runamuck, and about a million Vehicons."

"_Vehicons/cannon fodder." _Soundwave said dismissively in Megatron's voice.

"Sure they are, but even cannon fodder is dangerous. Anyway, doesn't Beaky here have a camera? I was going to go out on patrol now, so you can just processor-link the images over."

Soundwave had a horrid realisation and put up a "?" on his screen.

"Yeah, I think you've got a telepathic connection to this bird, because I keep getting little thoughts like "Ugh, where is Jolt?" "I'm so bored!" and "I really hate those ridiculous excuses for flying Autobots." - that one was my favourite, by the way – I'm not overly fond of Jetstorm or Jetfire either..." Jolt said, smirking.

As she rambled on, Soundwave inwardly berated himself for not turning off the mental connection and thanked Primus that he hadn't thought anything _compromising. _

"Aaand now you're annoyed about how you've forgotten to switch off the processor-link and are glad that you haven't thought anything which would degrade my opinion of you!" Jolt supplied brightly. "That's kinda cute, actually, not that a feared and evilly magnificent Decepticon warrior like yourself would, in fact, could, ever be described as cute by anyone least of all an Autobot femme with oh Primus please just stop me talking now, please..."

Soundwave pinged up a little "XD" emote on his screen and stepped backwards into the wall as Jolt was mid-ramble.

"Hey! I wasn't done with you yet!" she started, before a little message typed itself onto her HUD saying "Hilarious. You can go on your patrol now. Don't break Laserbeak."

"Ugh, he's even curt and emotionless when he _types! _I just can't catch a break, can I?" Jolt remarked to Laserbeak as she walked up to the command deck.

* * *

Windcharger was up there, fiddling with the gun controls (more fallout from Echo's little bit of fun, ugh), and he turned when he heard Jolt's distinctive footfall.

"Still got the tiara, I see." he commented, leaning back onto the console.

"I like it. It makes me feel cool. Sexy yet powerful, you know?" Jolt said. "Can I get a groundbridge down to the last sighting of Wildrider?"

"Fine, even though I wanted a shot at him first." Windcharger replied, pulling the customary lever to open the green swirly portal. "Also, on the "sexy yet powerful" line, you still aren't at any level with Moonracer."

Jolt rolled her optics, stepping towards the portal. "You have the dumbest celebrity crush, you know."

"Shut up, Field Scout Jolt, and go find a Decepticon already." Windcharger retorted primly, as Jolt transformed and drove into the green swirl.

* * *

**Yeah, I know "tendrils" isn't much better than "tentacles", but it was the best I could think of! Cut me some slack in that respect!**


	5. Legend of The Soundwave

**A/N: God I love Wildrider's voice. **

**Picture Starscream (who will appear later on) as like the Cybertronian version of Alduin! And Megatron as Paarthurnax!**

**Well done, Kittycatcalamity! It is indeed a tip of the proverbial hat to the Mechwarrior game. Well, a fusion of that and the Fall of Cybertron game HUD. Still well done.**

**Less crack in this chapter, more seriousness. But still crack in that yes, Wildrider IS a 40's mafia boss. DON'T QUESTION ME!**

**Oh yeah, Fowler's a general now, lolz. Like Nick Fury but with less eyepatch.**

**Review! And you shall have your Starscream!**

**_*Update of Shame*_**

**Oh my god, I just realised that Wildrider isn't _white_ and red, he's _black_ and red. I am the worst transformers fan ever.**

**Kill me now. **

* * *

**Legend of The Soundwave**

Jolt drove out of the Groundbridge into an abandoned military base.

At least General Fowler had done his job well, she reflected, transforming. Laserbeak's HUD sparked over her eyes.

"Nice." she told him. "Now, see a psychotic sports car anywhere?"

Laserbeak beeped, and the radar on her HUD flashed.

"I know, I know, you're doing your best." Jolt said kindly, and then a small red blip appeared on the radar. "Wow, you're good for a stroppy tiara."

She readied her blasters as the sound of maniacal laughter and car engines approached.

_Engines plural, _she suddenly realised, and sprinted for cover behind a barracks building.

Four sports cars, three of them purple and one (the leader) a black and red Lamborghini screamed around the corner and then transformed.

"This is where the groundbridge signature originated from, Commander." one of the Vehicons said.

"Awright, then let's git daown ta business. Hey, Autobawts! Come out, an Ah prob'ly ain't gonna vaporise ya now!" Wildrider shouted.

"_Combat analysis: 4 targets, 4 armed. Surprise attack in vehicle mode advised."_ typed itself up onto Jolt's HUD.

"Good call." she whispered to Laserbeak, sneaking around behind the Decepticons.

They turned when they heard the distinctive transformation noise, firing their blasters at random, before Jolt flew out of a hangar in vehicle mode.

She ran into the furthest left Vehicon's legs, knocking him over, then transformed and put a blaster round through his visor.

"Well, Ah'll be. It's a titchy lil femme. Ice the dame, boys!" Wildrider ordered, even though his men were already firing on Jolt (ineffectually, yes, but still firing). He took out his photon assault rifle (coincidentally, this looked like a human tommy gun) and took aim at the fast-moving femme currently decimating his troops.

As Jolt shocked the last Vehicon into stasis with her lightning bolts, Wildrider opened fire, spraying photons all over the place and laughing crazily.

She held up the stasis-locked Vehicon, letting him take the fire for her, then, as Wildrider stopped to cool his weapon, transformed and dashed for cover again.

Wildrider cockily walked closer to Jolt's cover, gun still held at his hip.

"Ya know, that's a mighty pretty lil tiara ya got there. Ah think it'll look fine on my wall." he mocked, sniggering.

Laserbeak, hearing this, was very, very angry. He was not a "_mighty pretty lil tiara", _he was an _incredibly intimidating tiara._

He detached himself from Jolt's head and flew furious circles around Wildrider, firing laser blasts at him incessantly.

"Yeah! Go Laserbeak!" Jolt shouted, cautiously coming out of cover as the Decepticon batted his servos at the bird and fired randomly into the air.

She walked over to one of the felled Vehicons, bent down and started cutting the right arm off, wincing.

Having done so, she picked it up and went over to where Laserbeak was still keeping Wildrider occupied, charged her lightning bolt to full power, and then fired it into the big white 'Con's chestplate. He spasmed for a second, then fell to the ground, optics rolling madly.

Jolt put him in stasis cuffs and then called for a groundbridge, settling Laserbeak back on her helm and petting his head.

"Good freaky-bird-thing."

* * *

Jetstorm and Jetfire flew out of a new green portal and transformed, looking around.

"Where is trouble?" Jetstorm asked, scratching his helm.

"Taken care of." Jolt replied proudly. "I just needed someone to help me carry Wildrider into the Bridge."

The Jettwins gaped.

Jolt raised an optic ridge and pointed at the comatose Decepticon impatiently. "Come on, we don't have all solar cycle. Pick him up and help me drag him into the big green swirly thing."

* * *

Having locked Wildrider up and delivered a delighted First Aid his (ugh) Vehicon arm, Jolt found Windcharger in one of the corridors.

"Jolt, hey. I'm just going down to interrogate Wildrider. Nice job on that, by the way," he said appreciatively, "only I noticed some of the carbon scoring on Wildrider's chassis isn't usual of lightning bolts. You didn't have any help, did you?"

Jolt shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Not in the traditional sense. The tiara," she explained, tapping Laserbeak on the transformed nose, "has, uh, its own armaments. Being a Decepticon model. So yeah, I shot him with that a few times."

"Ah." Windcharger said, nodding. "That explains a lot. You want to come and help with the interrogation? You know, good cop/bad cop style?"

"I've got nothing better to do."

* * *

"Ya think just cause you's playin' all tough-like Ah'm gonna crack, Wincharga?" Wildrider sneered from his restraints. "Ah ain't nevar gon' betray Sta'scream, see."

Jolt had had enough. "Wind, can you give me a minute alone with our guest?"

Windcharger raised an optic ridge questioningly, but complied, walking out and sealing the door.

Jolt surveyed her surly charge. She was going to need some help on this, but she had a plan.

"Laserbeak, call Echo." she said.

"Who's Echo? Is he a bigger Autobawt who's gonna put the frightn'ers on me, eh?"

"No. I figured that since you're a Decepticon, you might feel more _comfortable_ talking to a Decepticon, okay?" Jolt told him in her best nursery-teacher-voice.

"Say what now?" Wildrider asked suspiciously.

Echo appeared through the wall and then Wildrider lost it.

"Praimus alaive, no way! _The Soundwave_?! You ain't real! You's just a story!"

"_Interrogate?" _came the thought from Echo, or "_The Soundwave_" (which even _sounded _like it was being said in italics) as Wildrider was calling him.

Jolt nodded.

"_I suggest/We open him up and see for ourselves the data stored on his drives." _Echo said, bringing a long digit across his neck.

"No! Nawt that! Don't let 'em near me! Don't let _The Soundwave_ touch me!" Wildrider screamed, pulling away from Echo. "Ya don't know what he'll do ta me!"

"And what will he do to you?" Jolt asked nicely.

"Don't ya know who he is!? He's _The_ _Soundwave! _He's steal ma voice, an' drink ma spark! He's laike a vampire or some scrap!"

"Oh, so I have the Decepticon's worst fear right here?" Jolt asked, honestly curious.

Wildrider nodded fearfully. "Sparks of the doomed speak with no mech's voice!" he recited. "The legend's that a Decepticon roams the universe lookin' for his voice, and draining the Energon of any 'Con who passes, on account of his friends lettin' him be torn apart by a groundbridge!"

Echo advanced a pace.

"NO! Don't let him take ma voice! I'll tell ya anythin' ya wants, just don't let him take ma voice!" Wildrider begged.

"Echo, we're done. Thank you." Jolt told the slender mech, who bowed his head and stepped backwards through the wall.

"_I had nothing better to do anyway." _came the thought.

Jolt rolled her optics as Wildrider looked, terrified, between her and the wall.

"You're going to tell Windcharger everything he wants to know now, aren't you?" Jolt asked, again in the nursery-teacher-voice. "And I won't call Soundwave back in again, alright?"

Wildrider nodded.

* * *

Soundwave looked up when he heard his name. Ah, Jolt.

He walked out of his Vault, effortlessly slipping through the wall to where the blue and silver femme was waiting.

"Soundwave." Jolt said. "I looked your name up on the old databanks – the Nemesis still has pre-Starscream-era records – and _wow, _you were a _boss _back in the day. I mean, you took down Arcee without even moving, you blanked _Optimus Prime_, there's a vidfile on there of you punching out Airachnid, scrap, even Megatron was afraid of you."

The femme stopped for a second. "Not that the Megatron thing's really impressive anymore, since he's living in the Arctic advocating peace and avoiding civilisation..." she tailed off.

"Soundwave?" she asked, and he looked up. "Why are you nice to me?"

"_I like you." _Soundwave replied simply, in June Darby's voice.

Jolt awwed and tried to give the Decepticon a hug but ended up just falling through him onto the floor.

"_Cute." _Soundwave played in Ratchet's unamused monotone.

"Less of the sarcasm. Ugh, we really need to give you a solid body." Jolt grumbled, picking herself up.

Soundwave was ambivalent. Yes, it would be good to touch things again, to feel, to actually interact with the world, but it wasn't really a priority right now-

"Yep. That's our new priority. Getting you your body back." Jolt declared, optics flashing.

So much for "not really a priority.", Soundwave thought.


	6. Solid Soundwave

**A/N: Hey! New Echo! Yay! **

**God, but I've said the word "Laserbeak" far too many times, haven't I?**

**Has anyone else noticed that when Soundwave fights, it's like he's dancing? See his fight with Wheeljack, and dat spin move. **

**Oh, and uh, xQEAx? Team Prime are all on Cybertron doing their thang. Chill though, because some of them'll appear soon enough. As will Starscream and Megatron! And James Blunt! Except not that last one! **

**Joundwave is officially a go. Or should it be Solt?**

**INTROSPECTION! OH YEAH! **

**Review? and I give you Shattered Glass Ratchet personality First Aid!**

**Cookies for whoever guesses the TV programme Soundwave pinched that line from, and for whoever gets the title reference. **

* * *

**Solid Soundwave**

Soundwave sat in his dark Vault, thinking.

Thinking very carefully indeed, as he didn't want to be transmitting this to Jolt. Jolt, the source of his problem. He should have hated her and taken her down immediately, but he hadn't, and this worried him.

What also worried him was that Laserbeak was being very affectionate towards her. Contrary to popular opinion, Laserbeak didn't have his own emotions, per se; well, he did, but most of his emotions were just reflections of Soundwave's. So if Soundwave was happy, so was Laserbeak; if Laserbeak was affectionate towards someone then, logically, so too would Soundwave be.

_So_, Soundwave conceded. He did like this irritating fembot. This was no explanation to why Laserbeak had suddenly bonded with her. Soundwave "liked" Dreadwing, but Laserbeak had not felt any desire to attach himself to the big Seeker. If ordered to, yes, he would have, but not willingly.

It could be that Laserbeak regarded Jolt as some form of maternal figure, one being absent from his life for a very long time, but this raised implications Soundwave did not want to consider quite yet.

_You said "yet"_, Soundwave noted. _She is already corrupting your thought process. Could you not have been found by a less beautiful fe- beautiful?!"_

Soundwave attempted to bash his head off the wall, but accidentally phased through it.

_Scrap._

* * *

Jolt laughed at him.

Yes, she was right there, tormenting him with herself, while reading a datapad about Shadowzone physics and stroking Laserbeak's head idly.

"Right, so I figure that if you pulled yourself through a Groundbridge portal before to make yourself semi-here, since you were originally sucked through two, all you need to do is get through another one." she thought out loud.

_I am locked out of the groundbridge systems now; so no luck there, _Soundwave thought.

"..but, for that to happen we'd need to get you access to a groundbridge, and First Aid will probably ask me for some reason as to why I'm opening a bridge in the cargo bay. So there's that."

Soundwave played a recording from an Earth television programme. "_Well, you could just waltz up/do a bit of the flirty-flirt, and done!/." _

"Are you seriously telling me to distract First Aid by flirting with him while Laserbeak opens the bridge? That's both wrong and slightly weird. He's like my brother!" Jolt retorted. "Why I just tase him and then open the bridge myself?"

"_Don't draw any unnecessary attention." _Soundwave replied in the voice of a human named Soap MacTavish.

Jolt vented frustratedly. "Ugh, whatever. I am _not _flirting with First Aid."

* * *

First Aid walked through the corridors, a slightly shell-shocked expression and a large dent on his faceplate.

"F.A? What's with the face?" Windcharger asked as he came into the command room.

"Jolt punched me out." the medic stated, rubbing his right optic.

"You're kidding. Again?"

"What do you mean, _again_?"

Windcharger's response was interrupted when Jolt sprinted through between them, pointedly ignoring both and heading rapidly in the direction of the cargo bay.

Windcharger watched her leave. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if she was keeping a puppy in there or something."

* * *

Soundwave stared at the huge green swirl that had appeared before him. At least Laserbeak had been successful in his task while Jolt...distracted...First Aid.

He felt a surge of unwelcome jealousy at that thought. His first order of business would be to permanently regain control of the groundbridge controls, and teleport the medic to Antarctica.

Soundwave pushed the thoughts out of his mind and stepped towards the portal. He put a stabiliser into it experimentally and when it wasn't vaporised, pushed himself forward and into it.

Jolt clattered into the cargo bay. "Soundwave? Is it working? What's it feel like?"

"_Could you refrain from interrupting while I am working/Unit Four-Oh-One attempting to force entry, over/molecules/a rip through the very fabric of space and time itself?" _Soundwave asked, the recordings coming out a bit garbled due to his current between-dimensions status.

"Sure. Sorry." Jolt replied.

Soundwave's right arm appeared out of the other side of the portal, sending ripples across the bridge like those on a pond. He stretched out his digits, grabbing at air until Jolt took his servo in both of hers and pulled.

As he ground his way through the bridge, Soundwave felt his screen splintering under the pressure. _Scrap._

He thrust his head forward and it popped out of the portal.

"That crack's getting bigger. It must be the influx of energy!" Jolt shouted over the whirling _pfhwefweewwww_ screaming noise that the groundbridge was making.

Soundwave nodded, his right shoulderplate coming through the portal.

"You're definitely coming through; I can feel it." Jolt said. "Oh, _scrap, _that came out wrong."

Laserbeak, perched up high behind them, made a number of amused chittering noises.

Suddenly, something in the portal just gave, and Soundwave fell forward taking Jolt's shorter frame with him, who gave a short yelp before being almost crushed under the Decepticon and instead having her lips smash into his screen.

Soundwave pulled away _very _quickly, and Jolt started gabbling apologetically in the corner.

Soundwave tapped her on the shoulder, interrupting the ramble and said, in his own, synthesised voice, "Thank you."

Jolt immediately brightened up, jumped over and enveloped him in an armour-bending hug.

Soundwave stood there stoically for a good minute, then resignedly asked if she was going to let go any time soon.

"Oh! No. Wait, I mean yes. Sorry." she giggled awkwardly. "It's just hearing your actual voice is weird. Is that your actual voice?"

"Not really. The mask changes it."

"That reminds me, I need to fix the mask. I bet the old Medbay has something in there I could..."

"Unnecessary. I have a replacement in my old quarters."

"Which one is that?"

"Coincidentally, it is the one on who's door it says "Soundwave.""

"Oh. Yeah. Well, you stay here for a bit, but I'll have to move you somewhere else since you can't sneak through the walls anymore." Jolt considered, letting go of Soundwave. "I can keep Laserbeak for a few more megacycles?"

"He is fond of you. I do not think that you having him is an issue." Soundwave replied.

"Great! Thanks, Soundwave!" Jolt said, as she walked out of the cargo hold with Laserbeak on her shoulder.

Soundwave was left with an odd tingling feeling where she had touched his plating.

He put his own long arms around himself, but it didn't feel the same.

* * *

**Dat emotional ending.**


	7. Repairs and Reinforcement

**A/N: And another fine Echo chapter. It's as if I can't write anything else. Oh well.**

**I'm going to be using the Stunticons from Transformers Animated, excluding Breakdown in some respects, because femme Dragstrip just ticks all the boxes for me. **

**Frequency is apparently completely fabricated, and as such I still don't own her, god dammit, because she's not even my OC. I have no idea whose she is. All I know is stealth bombers are cool. **

**"FrequenTrain" (Frequency/Astrotrain, or the weather in Scotland) FTW. There may also be some SlipScream happening in the wings (heh, _wings_) because I say so.**

**Reviewers! Know that I will put Ravage and Frenzy and Rumble (not Buzzsaw or Ratbat because that's just too many for Prime Soundwave, lacking a cassette container) into this. But later. Much later.  
****JOLTWAVE it is! And I think I'll throw some LaserJolt "motherly bonding" in there too.**

**Starscream! Redesigned by ME! And his jet mode is no longer American scrap, but quality European engineering. Screw Top Gun, F-16s suck! They aren't _evil _enough. **

**Go to the god that is Google Images to view his slinky new look. If you want to, I mean. But you _do _want to, don't you.  
****Well now I feel like one of those authors who posts links to pictures of their characters' outfits. Weird feeling.**

**Review! I want to hear you thoughts on _Lord _Starscream and his proverbial Brigade. **

* * *

**Repairs and Reinforcement**

Jolt tapped on the door of the Energon vault, and the huge door slowly opened.

Soundwave walked out. "Problem?" he asked.

"Kinda. I've worked out that your old room is _mine _now. So, since I don't know where you stash your...uh...face...I'm going to have to sneak you up two decks and into it." she replied hurriedly.

"Lead on." Soundwave nodded expectantly.

* * *

Jolt did so, and had made remarkably good progress, until they were delayed outside their target by none other than the resident Jet Twins. Jolt pushed Soundwave roughly into an alcove to keep him out of sight.

"Hello Jolt! How are you being today?" Jetfire asked, his wings flaring impressively.

"Fine, Jetfire. Had any run-ins with _the ghost_ lately?" Jolt replied cuttingly.

Jetstorm laughed. "Oh you are having no idea. He is thinking it is living in the cargo hold, which I am telling him is the scrap." The blue jet stretched the cables in his neck and leaned back on his right stabiliser's heel strut. "I am saying that you are going down there all of the times, and you are always being of the complete fineness."

* * *

Soundwave was far too tired for this stupid distraction, and it wasn't helped by the fact that his cracked screen was glitching out and not displaying images properly, so he couldn't see as well. He needed these Auto-seekers out of his way.

Something had to be done. And done it was.

The twins nearly crashed their drives when Soundwave's data cables switched the lights on and off again.

It probably didn't help when a distorted, reverb-ed and thoroughly pitch-tweaked recording of Knock Out screamed "Prepare for _surgery!" _at them, and they looked at each other, then at Jolt's convincing pretend-scared face, then transformed into their identical (bar the colour) F-86 Sabre jet modes and shot out of the hallway.

Outdated jet modes, Soundwave noted. They would be able to hold their own in a dogfight with Laserbeak, but not much else. It was likely they possessed some other redeeming feature, or they wouldn't be kept on a planet where the Decepticon leader was the second most dangerous flyer in existence.

"Well, at least they're gone. Come on, Soundwave." Jolt beckoned, checking around the corner for anyone else, and when she found no-one, ran across to the door and tapped her access code in.

Soundwave stepped into his old room and walked over beside his – Jolt's now – recharging berth.

He placed a servo onto an almost-invisible square of metal on the wall, and pushed. The wall transformed away to reveal two things: a bottle of glass polisher, and a fresh half-screen. He took the screen out and handed it to Jolt, who took it dumbly.

"Request: close your optics." Soundwave told Jolt, who looked disappointed for a second but did as he asked.

Soundwave triggered the releases on the broken screen, and lifted it off, the world becoming more blurry and shapes melting into one another.

"Hand me the screen, please." he asked, frowning at not recognising his own, natural voice.

"Your voice is amazing." Jolt said involuntarily, holding the screen out blindly. "It sounds like music from Cybertron."

Soundwave took his replacement screen – his servo accidentally lingering on Jolt's for a millisecond too long – and settled it into place, the catches locking in and pressing the glass into his faceplate. He cycled his optics, and the world sprang back into sharp clarity.

"You can look now." he said to Jolt in his unmodified voice.

"But your voice is still the same?" she asked, opening her optics.

Soundwave let a half-smirk twitch at his mouth before the bottom half of the screen slid down to cover it, hissing as it made itself airtight again. "Is this more to your expectations?" he queried, this time back to his monotone.

"Well, no. I mean yes, but you have a great voice, and a _fantastic_ smile, scrap ignore that part, ugh; never mind. I'm supposed to be on monitor duty, and the Twins've probably freaked the whole ship out about your stunt with the lights, which may have been hilarious but-" Jolt rambled, before Soundwave extended a digit and placed it over her lips, stopping her there, then pointed out the door.

"_Get goin', sheila!" _a recording of Thundercracker said. The blue and silver femme smiled at Soundwave, walked out the door then shouted "Stay!".

Soundwave felt something get a little colder in his spark as she transformed and drove away down the corridors.

* * *

Starscream paced in a small circle in the command centre of Decepticon Moon Base One.

He had changed over the years: growing taller and bulkier, as a result of countless upgrades to his chassis and his systems over the years. His now much longer wings folded behind his back like a cape, and his spark chamber was reinforced with extra armour due to his increasing paranoia and distrust of those close to him, bar a select few. He had a trio of vertical golden spikes around his helm, and his optics and exposed cabling had turned purple from excessive exposure to Dark Energon.

Due to his new upgraded form, his alt mode had required a suitable upgrade as well; instead of transforming into an American F-16A, he had chosen an aircraft befitting his new, more powerful chassis: the Sukhoi Su-37.

Spinning on his heel and stalking over to his Communications Officer, Frequency, (a black and yellow B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft with a broken attitude regulator), Starscream hissed in annoyance when the slim femme pretended not to hear him until he spat out "Turn around, Frequency." impatiently.

"_Lord_ Starscream?" she replied, spinning in her seat and looking up, her excessively long wings (longer than _his, _for Primus' sake!) already flaring in defiance.

Starscream growled irritatedly at her obvious lack of intimidation and edgingly mocking tone. "Has Wildrider made contact with you yet?"

"No. He's been captured like the headstrong idiot he is. Next question, _sir_?"

"Status of the Decepticon shuttle from Sirius Five." Starscream ordered, grinding his serrated iron denta.

"I'll not comment on your intentional ignorance of the fact the "shuttle" is _my sparkmate, _Lord Starscream." Frequency retorted, spinning her chair back around. She lazily pressed a key, bringing up a projected flight plan on her monitor's screen. "_Astrotrain_ and his contingent should be here within seven to nine solar cycles."

"Seventy nine solar cycles! I cannot wait that long!" Starscream raged.

"Seven TO nine solar cycles." Frequency corrected without batting an optic lid.

"Oh. Very good. Continue to monitor their progress, Communications Officer."

Starscream turned and stalked away while Frequency continued tapping at the keys in stark boredom.

Just then, Starscream's two _non-flying _officers appeared. In vehicle mode. Sullying Starscream's perfect floors.

"Runabout, Runamuck. How..._nice..._it is that you would grace us with your presence." Starscream said sarcastically.

The right car, a black Lotus Espirit Turbo, transformed and pointed at the other.

"His fault. I told him we shouldn't'a shot at Windcharger, but nooo, he wants to fight."

"Runabout, ya glitch, I thought we were on _patrol _and should be shooting _Autobots _like we're supposed to!" the other one, a white Pontiac Firebird, shot back, transforming as well.

"It doesn't matter, gentlemen. Soon, our reinforcements will arrive, and with the addition of Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Slipstream _(Unicron's blood; he could feel his cooling fans sputter just as he said her name, Starscream thought)_ and the Stunticons, we will finally be prepared to make our move on this backwater world."

"The Stunticons! But ain't Breakdown offlined?" Runabout asked.

Starscream sighed. "As you would know if you were _here_ at all, rather than _street racing; _his memory unit was salvaged by Shockwave and installed into a new chassis, albeit with a few minor defects due to his demise. Said defects being a massive and all-encompassing belief that the entire universe attempting to extinguish his spark, and an intense dislike of spiders." the Decepticon leader explained dryly.

"Who gives a frag about Breakdown? It's Dragstrip I wanna see. That femme is _hawt._" Runamuck commented enthusiastically.

Starscream turned from his two footsoldiers, now bickering over the attractiveness of Dragstrip, to gaze down at the blue-green planet.

Soon. Soon he would take back _everything._

* * *

**I WIN AT CLIFFHANGERS**_  
_


	8. Come Fly With Me

**A/N: Last time: I made a cheap, cliché and corny cliffhanger.**

**This time: I'm doing it again. Heheheheheheheh.**

**BLITZWING: Animated Blitzwing, to be exact, because I love the three-personalities thing. For the record, they are called Cold, Hot, and Random (in this). **

**ASTROTRAIN: What a guy.**

**SLIPSTREAM: Totally has Starscream wrapped around her little finger.**

**MOTORMASTER: Apparently from Harlem.**

**BREAKDOWN: More paranoid your average Slender player.**

**YOU: Hate this because of cliffhangers, apparently. You know who invented the cliffhanger as a concept? An American (it was one of the only good things to be invented by an American, hardy har har) called William Randolph Hearst. Let's just say I owe the guy one.**

**Review! Even if you hate the constant use of cliffhangers! **

**Like, please? **

* * *

**Come Fly With Me**

The Cybertronian shuttle gracefully flew down towards the Moon's surface, to where an irritated Starscream watched with his arms folded.

The hulking purple ship swung out over the Decepticon leader's helm, then fired its retros and came to a smooth stop, landing gear folding out as it sank down to the dusty surface.

Starscream tapped his right stabiliser on the ground impatiently.

The airlock door opened, and six Transformers stepped out of the door, two of them fairly taller than the others.

Motormaster, the big black-and-purple semi-truck, took four huge steps over to Starscream.

"Lord. The Stunticons're at yer command," he said, looming over the smaller (but not by much) Seeker. "bar Wildrider, on account of him bein' in the ever-lovin' Autobots' custody."

"Naturally." Starscream replied, refusing to be intimidated. "Marshall your men in the main base. Runamuck will see to them." he commanded, and Motormaster inclined his helm and bellowed to his troops. Dead End and Dragstrip walked away after the semi-truck, and Breakdown tailed along after them, his right blaster on the verge of being primed and blowing everyone he didn't like to atoms.

* * *

Blitzwing was hanging off to the side, having a complex argument with himself and trying to reattach his right arm.

"You know, zis vould not be necessary if Hot had not, shall ve say, "made a pass" at Slipstream." Cold stated, fiddling with bolts and loose cables.

_Whiiiir._

"It vhas going fine until Random decided he vhanted to fragging sing!" Hot retorted, taking the arm and waving it in the air angrily.

_Whiiiir._

"But I like singing." Random put in. "It is fun!"

_Whiiiir._

"Zhough zat may be true, Random, ve do not simply break out into vild song at any given opportunity." Cold chided, connecting up nerve cabling and putting the arm back onto its socket.

_Whiiiir._

"No! No we fragging don't, Random!" Hot raved, welding the arm back on with his laser and giving it a test flex.

Starscream decided it was time to make his entrance. "Ah, Blitzwing. How...pleasant...it is to see you."

_Whiiir._ "_Ja, _Starscream?" Cold responded, turning around.

_Whiiir. "_What de frag is your problem?!" Hot demanded.

_Whiiir. _"Do you have any waffles?" Random asked.

Starscream vented tiredly. Dealing with Blitzwing was not enjoyable in the least. "Report to the main base. Find some quarters and make _yourselves _at home."

"HAHAHHAHAHA! You make a joke, Starscream! Because there are three of us, you say "yourselves"! Hahahahaaa!" Random burst into hysterics.  
_  
Whiiir. "_...Yes...how amusing. Good-bye, Starscream." Cold regained control of the situation and ambled off towards the dome that was Decepticon HQ.

* * *

The last one off the shuttle was Slipstream, her wings twitching from being unable to fly for the long shuttle trip.

"You should probably go for a flight soon, Slipstream." Starscream observed.

"I don't have an alt mode saved. And I think the locals will be a little suspicious of a tri-fighter swooping down on them, hmm?" she replied pragmatically.

"You underestimate my preparations. Come down to the planet, and we shall find a vehicle mode befitting that of a beautiful femme such as yourself."

A loud transformation noise and a laugh interrupted whatever flustered reply Slipstream was about to give.

"Wow, I think my spark just cried inside. That was _so_ adorable." Astrotrain said laconically in his echoing voice.

"Oh, blow it out your afterburner, Astrotrain." Slipstream snapped. "Go and find Frequency or something. Come on, _Lord _Starscream, let's go."

* * *

Soundwave had been holed up in Jolt's quarters for days, and he was starting to see the symptoms of flight deprivation affecting him. Blown fuses, energon backlog, processor errors, and so on.

One of the drawbacks of having a jet mode. It also didn't help that he hadn't properly recharged for a while.

So, as he knew he couldn't sustain 100% of his systems, he started to turn things off. The odd subroutine here, an old vehicle schematic there; little things that wouldn't affect his performance overall, but would let him stave off the systems crash that would normally result from flight deprivation and the memory jam from not recharging.

He did not, however, factor in the astuteness of Jolt and her concern for his welfare. Which was why she had noticed him twitching and practically dragged him up to the top deck, blocked all the doors and security cameras, and then thrown Soundwave off the Nemesis deck.

He transformed and flew a few circuits around the starship, enjoying the feeling of his wings actually doing something for once, then switched back to robot mode and landed smoothly and softly on the launch deck.

"I wish I could fly..." Jolt said wistfully, and Laserbeak on her helm transformed and flapped around her curiously.

"Not helping, Beaky. " she said, crossing her arms and giving the bird a look. "I really always wanted to be an Energon Seeker, you know? Flying everywhere, free, agile, desirable, you know. But instead I'm stuck on the ground as boring Field Scout Jolt. Ugh." she continued sadly.

Soundwave thought for a moment, then pointed a long digit at Laserbeak.

"Laserbeak: transform. Operation: Flight." he commanded in his monotone, and Laserbeak chirped, attached himself to Jolt's surprised frame, and transformed himself so that his wings were swept back and his pulse thrusters faced downwards.

"Follow." Soundwave told Jolt, then took a running transform off the Nemesis.

"How?!" Jolt asked.

"_Laserbeak is tapped into your thoughts. Think, and he will do as you wish." _Soundwave explained mentally.

"Oh, okay. Let's have go at this then..." Jolt said, experimentally thinking "up" and shooting up into the air.

"_HOVER. HOVER!" _she desperately thought, and Laserbeak came to a smooth stop and hovered in place.

Soundwave effortlessly flew three rings around her, then sent a thought: "_You are thinking manual commands, and as such cannot transition efficiently between moves. Suggestion: Attempt to envision your entire flight path in your mind, and let Laserbeak do the work." _

Laserbeak chirped in agreement.

* * *

An hour or so later, with extreme concentration, Jolt could fly at least as well as a Vehicon seeker. She landed on the Nemesis' deck, stumbling for a second and cursing her high heels, before teetering then stabilising and literally leaping for joy.

Soundwave landed not far off, and Jolt, almost without thinking, ran up and enveloped him an almost-painful hug and tucked her helm against Soundwave's chest, quietly thanking him over and over. He patted the top of her helm awkwardly, not really knowing what to do.

Meanwhile, Starscream was in the literal equivalent of the Pit.

* * *

**I'm evil, I know. **


End file.
